I try to keep politics out of The E-Sylum but it was inevitable with the December 24, 2017 Toledo Blade excerpt regarding the Coingate book by Garrison
Walters on the case of jailed coin dealer Tom Noe.

The book, arguing in support of releasing Noe, claimed that the sentence for his crimes was too harsh. Here are a couple additional excerpts from the article supporting the opposite view. See the
earlier E-Sylum articles for more background on the case. -Editor

On Noe's culpability:

Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates, whose office tried the case, said the idea that theft charges should have been left off the table was “ridiculous.” “The profits could have tripled or
quadrupled, but he still took money,” she said. “He still used it for his own benefit.”

On the author’s argument of political collusion:

“I was the only Democrat in the whole circle of this case,” Ms. Bates said. “The U.S. attorney was a Republican. The [state] attorney general was a Republican. The state auditor, Betty Montgomery,
was a Republican. Tom Charles, the inspector general, was a Republican. [Franklin County Prosecutor] Ron O’Brien was a Republican.